Amazing
by MACRA
Summary: Korra faces one of her biggest challenges: a worried daughter.
Saelee had developed an interest in meditating with Korra, or at least with being around while Korra meditated. Korra certainly didn't mind the chance for extra time with her daughter. And, honestly, being placed in the position of being a good example for someone else was a great motivator. She didn't expect a naturally fidgety five year old to sit still for the whole time, so she set Saelee to work on a simplified form of Witnessing.

"While we're in here, just notice what you're thinking or feeling. Don't worry about what it is, just notice it. So maybe sometimes it's going to be something like 'I'm bored,' or 'I'm hungry,' or 'I really need to stand up and walk around.' That's OK. Just try to keep noticing whatever else you're doing."

Saelee had wiped her nose thoughtfully. "Doesn't everybody do that?"

Korra had smiled. "Do they?"

"But they're _thinking_ it. They've got to know."

"When I first started, the thing I noticed most often was that I hadn't been noticing _anything_ for several minutes." Saelee's brow had furrowed as she tried to figure that one out, but it was enough to convince her to give it a try.

After a couple of weeks, Korra told her gently that she was getting very good at witnessing and was probably ready for the next step of witnessing _silently_. They could talk about everything she noticed afterward. Saelee had been quite pleased to learn of her rapid progress, and had set hard at work on this next step in her spiritual development.

So when Saelee spoke directly to her in the middle of their session, Korra sensed that it might be something pretty important. She opened her eyes and looked at her daughter standing before her. The little girl looked worried. "What is it, Kiddo?"

Saelee didn't answer right away, but looked down at her feet and shuffled back and forth a bit. Finally, still not looking up, she blurted, "Mommy, do you wish I was a bender like you?"

Korra fought down a moment of panic, wondering what she might have done to make her daughter question that. But being defensive wasn't going to help. She uncrossed her legs and held her arms out. Saelee accepted the invitation to sit in Korra's lap and be held. "No, Sweetie. I don't wish that." She sat for a moment, hugging her daughter. "Do you ever wish that you were a bender?"

Saelee sighed. "Sometimes." Check, Korra thought.

"A lot of the kids you know are benders," Korra observed. Saelee nodded. "And a lot of Mommy-A's and my friends are also benders." Not really a coincidence there, of course, she reflected. Saelee nodded again. "I bet you feel kind of left out sometimes, huh?"

"Yeah," Saelee breathed.

"Do you know what you feel left out of particularly?"

Her daughter sat quiet for a moment. Korra had to resist the urge to try to prompt some answer. At last, Saelee spoke up. "It's just that they can do such amazing things." She waved her hands in front of her as if she were trying to control one of the elements. "It's not fair."

Korra hugged her a bit closer. "No, Sweetie. It isn't." They just sat for a while. "You know," Korra said at last, "There's people who do amazing things I can't that I've always been kind of envious of."

Saelee twisted around to look at her, the surprise evident on her face. "There are?"

"Uh huh. Mommy-A for one. Sometimes it seems like machines just talk to her. She makes all of these wonderful things. And she doesn't just make them work. She makes them beautiful."

"Huh." If her daughter didn't sound fully convinced, she did sound like she was thinking thoughts that she hadn't considered before. Korra forged ahead.

"And when we get together with our friends who are also engineers, I sometimes feel a little left out."

"Do you wish you were an _engineer_?"

Korra laughed. "Not often, but sometimes, yeah. There's lots of things I sometimes wish I were. A better singer. A competent cook. Mostly, though, I'm pretty happy with what I am and just work at being better at that."

Saelee squirmed a bit. "It's not really the same."

"You're right. It isn't entirely. If I studied engineering, I might never be great but I might get to the starting point. And no amount of studying can turn you into a bender if you weren't born one." Saelee sighed again.

"But you know," Korra continued, "No one _starts_ at amazing. Not even benders. Whatever your talent, it takes hard work to build it. Maybe Mommy-A would have had a head for engineering no matter what. Maybe she got it because your Grandpa Hiroshi encouraged her when she was small. But she wouldn't be an amazing engineer if she hadn't worked hard at it. The same goes for me and my bending. I had to train really hard. And for a long time I had a really bad attitude about that."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. You should ask Tenzin how hard it was to teach me airbending." She paused in thought. "Actually, no you shouldn't. He'd probably be kind of stiff and say he shouldn't talk about it. You should ask _Pema_." Saelee actually giggled. "You know, you are already much better at hard work than I was then."

"Wow." Saelee sounded pleased at the complement. _Result_ , thought Korra, satisfied.

Korra looked her daughter in the eye. "So how you doing, Kiddo?"

"OK, I guess."

"I wish I _could_ give you everything you wanted. But some things I just can't. I just want you to be happy that you're you. 'Cause I sure am." Saelee grinned shyly at her.

"Tell you what," Korra said. "What would be something special to do tonight? I want to treat my amazing girl."

Saelee pondered the question seriously. "Can we go get seaweed noodles?"

"You bet. How about you go find Mommy-A and tell her."

Saelee jumped up and ran out of the meditation room. Almost the instant she was out the door, Korra heard her shout. "Mommy! Mommy-K said we could go out and have seaweed noodles!"

"That's nice, Precious. Why don't you go wash up first," came Asami's voice.

"OK." There was the sound of little feet pelting off into the distance.

Asami appeared in the doorway. "You handled that very well."

Korra got up and gave her wife a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You heard that, huh?"

Asami nodded. "I hope you don't mind. I was just passing when she asked the question. I wanted to stand by in case you needed help. Though, as I suspected, you were fine on your own." She gave Korra a fond smile. Asami's opinion of her, Korra reflected, was not exactly unbiased, for which she was daily thankful.

"Thanks, Sweetest." She put her arm around Asami's waist. Asami draped her arm over Korra's shoulder, and the two walked into the hall. "You know, I've been less nervous about messing up facing up against armed soldiers and crazy benders."

Asami chuckled. "I know what you mean. But it's no wonder. The stakes are higher."

"What if I hurt her? She was wondering if I was disappointed that she's not a bender. What if it was something I…"

"Stop that," Asami said. "You're a good mother. Your bending isn't the only thing that shows you can do hard work. One thing I know is that Saelee will never have cause to doubt that you love her." Asami stopped walking and turned to face Korra, placing a hand on her cheek. "Now stop second guessing yourself. You've got a mission. We're taking our amazing girl out on the town."


End file.
